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Australian cricket team in England in 1956
|team2= |captain1=PBH May |captain2=IWG Johnson |runs1=PBH May (453) PE Richardson (364) |runs2=JW Burke (271) CC McDonald (243) |runs3= |wickets1=JC Laker (46) GAR Lock (15) |wickets2=KR Miller (21) RG Archer (18) |wickets3= }} The Australian cricket team toured England in the 1956 season to play a five-match Test series against England for The Ashes. England won the series 2-1 with 2 matches drawn and therefore retained The Ashes. The series is most notable for off-spinner Jim Laker's 46 wickets (a record for a 5-Test series) at an average of 9.60, including all ten wickets in the second innings of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, the first time this had been achieved in Test cricket. In that Test, known as Laker's Match, Laker took 19 wickets for 90 runs, still the best match bowling analysis achieved in both Test and all first-class cricket. The cartoonist Roy Ullyett summed up the summer with the picture of a dazed kangaroo in Australian strip and the ditty: Here lie the Ashes of '56, skittled by Laker for next to nix. Never forgotten, sorry you thought our wicket rotten, signed "Love from the groundstaff". The second line refers to the Australian complaints that the grass had been shaved off the Old Trafford wicket to help the England spinners. Test series summary First Test: Trent Bridge | team2 = | score-team1-inns1 = 217/8 (dec) (103.4 overs)| runs-team1-inns1 = PE Richardson 81 PBH May 73| wickets-team1-inns1 = KR Miller 4/69| score-team2-inns1 = 148 (83.1 overs)| runs-team2-inns1 = RN Harvey 64| wickets-team2-inns1 = JC Laker 4/58| score-team1-inns2 = 188/3 (dec) (61 overs)| runs-team1-inns2 = MC Cowdrey 81 PE Richardson 73| wickets-team1-inns2 = KR Miller 2/58| score-team2-inns2 = 120/3 (86 overs)| runs-team2-inns2 = JW Burke 58| wickets-team2-inns2 = JC Laker 2/29| result = Match drawn| venue = Trent Bridge| umpires = TS Bartley (ENG) and JS Buller (ENG)| motm = | report = scorecard| rain = | }} Second Test: Lord's | team2 = | score-team1-inns1 = 285 (146.1 overs)| runs-team1-inns1 = CC McDonald 78 JW Burke 65| wickets-team1-inns1 = JC Laker 3/47| score-team2-inns1 = 171 (82 overs)| runs-team2-inns1 = PBH May 63| wickets-team2-inns1 = KR Miller 5/72| score-team1-inns2 = 257 (92.5 overs)| runs-team1-inns2 = R Benaud 97| wickets-team1-inns2 = FS Trueman 5/90| score-team2-inns2 = 186 (99.2 overs)| runs-team2-inns2 = PBH May 53| wickets-team2-inns2 = KR Miller 5/80 RG Archer 4/71| result = won by 185 runs| venue = Lord's Cricket Ground| umpires = DE Davies (ENG) and FS Lee (ENG)| motm = | report = scorecard| rain = | }} Third Test: Headingley | team2 = | score-team1-inns1 = 325 (167.4 overs)| runs-team1-inns1 = PBH May 101 C Washbrook 98| wickets-team1-inns1 = RR Lindwall 3/67 RG Archer 3/68 R Benaud 3/89| score-team2-inns1 = 143 (71.1 overs)| runs-team2-inns1 = JW Burke 41 KR Miller 41| wickets-team2-inns1 = Jim Laker 5/58 GAR Lock 4/41| score-team1-inns2 = | runs-team1-inns2 = | wickets-team1-inns2 = | score-team2-inns2 = 140 (follow-on) (99.3 overs)| runs-team2-inns2 = RN Harvey 69| wickets-team2-inns2 = JC Laker 6/55 GAR Lock 3/40| result = won by an innings and 42 runs| venue = Headingley| umpires = JS Buller (ENG) and DE Davies (ENG)| motm = | report = scorecard| rain = | }} Fourth Test: Old Trafford | team2 = | score-team1-inns1 = 459 (158.3 overs)| runs-team1-inns1 = DS Sheppard 113 PE Richardson 104 MC Cowdrey 80| wickets-team1-inns1 = IW Johnson 4/151| score-team2-inns1 = 84 (40.4 overs)| runs-team2-inns1 = CC McDonald 32| wickets-team2-inns1 = JC Laker 9/37| score-team1-inns2 = | runs-team1-inns2 = | wickets-team1-inns2 = | score-team2-inns2 = 205 (follow-on) (150.2 overs)| runs-team2-inns2 = CC McDonald 89| wickets-team2-inns2 = JC Laker 10/53| result = won by an innings and 170 runs| venue = Old Trafford| umpires = DE Davies (ENG) and FS Lee (ENG)| motm = | report = scorecard| rain = | }} Fifth Test: The Oval | team2 = | score-team1-inns1 = 247 (109.2 overs)| runs-team1-inns1 = DCS Compton 94 PBH May 83| wickets-team1-inns1 = RG Archer 5/53 KR Miller 4/91| score-team2-inns1 = 202 (92 overs)| runs-team2-inns1 = KR Miller 61| wickets-team2-inns1 = JC Laker 4/80| score-team1-inns2 = 182/3 (dec) (61 overs)| runs-team1-inns2 = DS Sheppard 62| wickets-team1-inns2 = RR Lindwall 1/29| score-team2-inns2 = 27/5 (38.1 overs)| runs-team2-inns2 = IWG Johnson 10| wickets-team2-inns2 = JC Laker 3/8| result = Match drawn| venue = The Oval| umpires = TJ Bartley (ENG) and DE Davies (ENG)| motm = | report = scorecard| rain = | }} External sources CricketArchive – tour summaries Annual reviews * Playfair Cricket Annual 1957 * Wisden Cricketers Almanack 1957 Further reading * Bill Frindall, The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1877-1978, Wisden, 1979 * Chris Harte, A History of Australian Cricket, Andre Deutsch, 1993 * Ray Robinson, On Top Down Under, Cassell, 1975 1956 Category:International cricket competitions from 1945–46 to 1960 1956